


Something Old, Something New

by Ehliena



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Rey Kenobi, wedding weekend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-18 05:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5899237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ehliena/pseuds/Ehliena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey and Ben are getting married and their families are meeting each other for the first time. Anakin is surprised to find out that her grandfather is none other than Obi-Wan, a man Anakin was close to during the war. Old feelings are rekindled as the wedding weekend progresses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Getting There

Explosions. Cries of terror, sobs of the dying and those left behind. Blood, so much blood.

The battlefield wasn’t as glorious as he thought it would be. There were no heroic acts of valour. There was only pain and suffering and lives lost too soon.

“We’ll get out of this one,” Ben assured him, his accent comforting Anakin.

The older man was from the British division, but he had been assigned to their squadron. He was ranks above Anakin, but he had taken a liking to the younger man and took him under his wing. In a sense, Ben was the closest thing to a friend Anakin had in the god-forsaken place.

Anakin trusted him.

They crawled to find shelter. The call for retreat had been sounded by their enemy. They had won, but there were still enemies shooting at them.

Anakin had a bullet in his thigh. It was a painful crawl, but he dragged himself along. He knew that Ben wouldn’t leave him behind. He’d rather suffer in pain than be the reason why they both died that day.

“Almost there Anakin,” Ben urged. “Just a little more.”

Anakin.

None of their other comrades called him that. It was either Skywalker or Ani, depending on how close to him the person was. No one was as close to him as Ben, but the older man insisted on calling him by his full name.

“Come on Anakin!” Ben said, pulling him along. “Only a few more feet.”

“Go on,” he said, panting with exertion. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“I am not leaving you behind!”

“I’ll catch up, I promise,” Anakin swore. “I won’t let you get hurt because of me.”

Ben shot him a concerned look and nodded. Before he got up, he patted Anakin’s shoulder.

“I’ll lay some cover fire when I get there.”

And he was off. Anakin kept up his slow pace, watching Ben as the other man made his way to the shed that was going to be their salvation. There was a short gap between the shed and the trench he was in that wasn’t covered. Ben was going to make sure that Anakin could cross that gap.

Anakin watched as Ben crouched down inside the shed and started firing at the enemy. He was close to the edge of the gap. They were both going to make it.

Ben was important to Anakin. He hoped that after the war, they would remain friends. Anakin especially hoped that after the war, they could be something more. Ben was a stickler for rules. He wasn’t one to fraternize, in that way, with his subordinates.

Anakin knew that Ben was open-minded. He didn’t bat an eyelash when he saw two of their comrades be affectionate with each other. Society would ridicule the two men, but Ben didn’t. When Anakin raised an eyebrow at Ben’s non-reaction, the older man just shrugged.

“We’re at war Anakin,” Ben lectured. “If they found something that would help them survive this hellhole then I won’t begrudge their happiness.”

Anakin wondered if he made a move on Ben, would the other man accept him, or would he be turned away? Since his subtle hints were brushed off, Anakin figured that it was because of Ben’s morals regarding their respective ranks. Maybe after the war…

An explosion brought Anakin back to the trench he was in. He was only a few crawls away from the gap. His leg still pained him, but he ignored it. He was so close to Ben. So close.

Ben stopped firing for a moment and gestured for Anakin to hurry along. Anakin smiled through clenched teeth.

He was going to ask Ben to stay with him after the war. That was something to look forward to. Something to live for. Society be damned.

Anakin set his eyes on Ben, his goal.

Then the shed exploded.

Anakin bolted upright in his bed, panting heavily. The war had been decades ago. A lifetime really.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the blanket and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He was old. His blond hair had been streaked with white for a while now. His forehead had wrinkles, and so did the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was a far cry from that youth on the battlefield with a crush on his commanding officer.

Anakin took a sip from the glass of water on his bedside and reflected on his dream.

In reality they had both survived that day. The shed hadn’t exploded and Ben hadn’t been killed. When the shooting had stopped, Ben had rushed him to the medic tent to have his leg seen to.

“I did not save you on the battlefield to lose you to an infection,” Ben chided. “The medics will make sure you survive.”

Ben had visited him whenever the older man could. But Anakin had been deemed unfit for further deployment. He was going to be sent away from the front lines, away from Ben. When he protested against this, Ben just shook his head.

“It’s better this way,” Ben explained, patting Anakin’s hand. “We both know you can’t do much on that leg.”

“I won’t leave,” Anakin stubbornly refused as only an 18 year old could. “I won’t leave without you.”

“Anakin,” Ben’s voice took on his lecturing tone. “You know that you should go so you could heal.”

“I can heal here,” Anakin argued. “I don’t want to be away from you.”

“That’s another reason you should go,” Ben said, letting go of Anakin’s hand.

“What?” Anakin exclaimed. “What are you saying Obi-Wan?”

“You’re too attached to me,” Ben pointed out. “It’s inappropriate. Time away from each other would be best for the both of us.”

“But you didn’t mind Rex and Cody,” Anakin whispered furiously. “You said that we should take what happiness we could find in war.”

“I did,” Ben nodded. “But those two are different.”

“Why?”

“They’re of the same rank, nearly the same age,” Ben rationalised.

“What’s a five year difference?” Anakin asked, on the verge of tears.

He couldn’t believe what was happening. He couldn’t believe that he survived that trench only to have his heart ripped out right afterwards. He thought Ben had wanted the same thing that he did.

“Anakin,” Ben said in a soothing voice. “It’s for the best.”

The finality in his voice was what broke Anakin. He didn’t even try to restrain his sobs. The other people in the medic tent all thought the he was crying because he was being decommissioned. Only Ben knew the truth. The man sat there until Anakin had fallen asleep, exhausted from his injuries, both physical and emotional.

It was the last time Anakin ever saw Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Remembering the man’s full name made him shiver. In all his stories, he only called the man ‘Ben’. His daughter even named his grandson after the man. Anakin sighed. It was easier to think of him as Ben Kenobi. Ben Kenobi belonged to everyone. Obi-Wan was his. Or so Anakin thought.

After that, he was shipped back home and sent to a district hospital where he met Padme. She was a volunteer nurse. He considered her an angel for putting up with him. They fell in love and the rest was history. They had two beautiful children, Luke and Leia, and were married for 34 years, until she died from cancer six years ago.

It was a good life.

A knock sounded on the door. Leia peeked her head in and smiled at him.

“Dad, you’re awake!” she greeted. “Our flight is at ten, we have to leave for the airport in an hour.”

“I know Leia,” he replied. “I’m all packed up. I just need to take a shower.”

“Good,” Leia said. “I can’t wait for you to meet Rey. She’s wonderful.”

When Leia left his room he shook his head. He knew he got married too young, but it was a bit of a shotgun wedding. The same thing happened to Leia and Han. But he couldn’t for the life of him understand why his grandson would choose to marry young either.

Then again, from what he heard from Leia and Ben, this Rey of his was something special. Smart, talented, British. Anakin wondered if it was a curse on the men of the Skywalker line to love someone British at least once in their lives. Anakin had Obi-Wan, Luke had Mara, and now Ben had Rey. At least one of them would have a happy ending.

He could think more on that later. He had to get ready to leave.

He had a wedding to get to.

***

Obi-Wan sighed as he packed his suitcase for his granddaughter’s wedding. He was old and he was in no mood for a long plane ride, but for Rey, he would do anything. She was the only family he had left, and he was hers. For now at least.

Her parents, his daughter and son-in-law, died in a boating accident when she was just a child. Rey came to live with him after that.

Obi-Wan didn’t really know how to raise his granddaughter. His ex-wife, rest her soul, had been the one to raise their daughter May. Obi-Wan had only been around for holidays or birthdays, at least when he wasn’t off doing his duty to the military.

His ex-wife did say he was married to his job.

He tried his best with Rey, he really did. And Rey assured him that she grew up loved. He knew why she wanted to get married as young as she was. She had explained it to him, not for authorisation since she was of legal age, but because she wanted his approval.

“Grandfather,” she had said over the video chat. “I know you understand. After all, you were the one who taught me that we should cherish love when we find it.”

“Please,” Obi-Wan scoffed. “You’re just using that as an excuse.”

“But it works,” Rey pointed out.

“You’re too much like your mother,” Obi-Wan complained. “Always trying to use my words against me.”

“Oh please,” it was Rey’s turn to scoff. “I barely remember my mother. All I know, I learned from you.”

Obi-Wan waited for her to tear up, he was already feeling choked up himself. It was a hard thing, being an orphan. But it was even harder to live after your child died. It was their shared pain.

“I miss her,” Rey admitted in a small voice. “Even though I don’t remember her much. I miss her.”

“I miss her too, dear one,” Obi-Wan admitted.

“But I’m glad I had you Grandfather,” she smiled.

“And I’m glad for you, Rey.”

“So I have your blessing?”

“You always have,” Obi-Wan said. “You have a good head on your shoulders. And Ben Solo is a good man.”

Obi-Wan had met him before. Several times, in fact. He and Rey had been together for a few years. Ben also, and Obi-Wan didn’t tell Rey this, asked for Obi-Wan’s permission to marry her.

The young man had flown to England and knocked on Obi-Wan’s door and pled his case on why he should be allowed to marry Rey. Obi-Wan would have agreed via a phone call because Ben made Rey so happy. That he had gone the extra mile, literally, cemented Obi-Wan’s impression that he was a good man.

“Thank you Grandfather,” Rey replied. “You are flying in, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

And he meant it. That conversation had taken place almost a year to the day.

Obi-Wan took a look around his room, wondering if he was missing something. His flight wasn’t for a few hours yet, so he peeked into his closet and pulled out an old album when a loose picture fell on the floor. He had intended to look at pictures of when Rey was young, but when he picked up the fallen picture, he saw that it was one from back in the war.

Obi-Wan was smiling at the camera, standing next to a fighter plane. Beside him was a young man, Anakin Skywalker, as the writing on the back of the picture indicated. They both looked happy.

Obi-Wan wondered what had happened to his young friend. He knew that they had held affection for each other, but he had chalked it up to being in consistent close contact with each other. He would have given it a chance, if Anakin had contacted him after the war. But he never heard from the other man again.

He wondered what life would have been like if he did end up with Anakin, but he shook his head snorted.

He would never give up his granddaughter for a ‘might have been.’ He was happy with his life. Obi-Wan hoped that Anakin was happy with his.

Still Obi-Wan held on to the old picture instead of putting back in his closet. He hated flying. The only time he felt safe in a plane was when he had been practising being a gunner with Anakin as the pilot. They had never crashed when they were together in a plane.

Anakin promised him that he wouldn’t let them die in the air.

“Come on Obi-Wan,” Anakin said as he pulled the older man towards the hangar. “Flight practice for me, gunnery practice for you!”

“Anakin stop pulling,” he had replied.

“Come on,” Anakin shot him a smile. Anakin’s smile were always brilliant. “This’ll be fun.”

“Your definition of fun and my definition of fun are two very different things.”

“We won’t crash,” Anakin promised, knowing where Obi-Wan’s reluctance stemmed from. “I promise.”

Obi-Wan snickered as he recalled that promise. They never did crash. He stroked Anakin’s face on the photo. How different his life would have been if he took the younger man up on his offer.

He chided himself for being sentimental, but tucked the picture into his carry-on anyway. Call him superstitious, but Obi-Wan felt safer with the picture in his case.

Obi-Wan set aside memories and gathered his things. He had a wedding to attend.

***

“We’re really getting married?” Rey asked as she leaned against the door to her and Ben’s shared room.

“Having second thoughts already?” Ben teased, zipping up his bag.

“Never,” Rey assured him. “It’s just… is this really going to happen?”

“Only if you want it,” he said, rising from the bed and enveloping her in a hug. “We could always wait a few years if you want?”

“No,” Rey shook her head. “I’m sure about this. How about you? Do you have any doubts about this?”

“Never,” Ben said, giving her a quick kiss. “Besides, Mom would be so disappointed if I let you get away.”

Rey laughed. Ben smiled down at her and wondered how he could have ever been so lucky. He stepped away from her to pick up his bag and grabbed hers from the floor.

“Shall we go?”

Rey nodded. They had a long drive ahead of them.

A long drive, a wedding, and, hopefully, a whole life ahead of them.


	2. Meeting Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive at the hotel. Reminiscing. Obi-Wan and Anakin meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned that this was slash? Not gonna be M or E, but slash nonetheless. Just a warning. You know, in case the tags haven't told you yet.

Obi-Wan sighed as he finally reached his guest room. The flight from Britain hadn’t been bad, they didn’t even experience turbulence. Still, it was a relief when the plane had landed and he was on solid ground again.

He hated flying.

The only time he ever enjoyed it was when he was with Anakin, and even then only when the other man behaved enough. Obi-Wan’s stomach did flips as he remembered all the aileron rolls that Anakin had done during practice.

“This is fun Obi-Wan!” Anakin said over their comm.

“Not quite,” he replied, barely holding down his lunch as the younger man spun their plane in another defensive manoeuvre.

“It is if you stopped being so uptight!” Anakin whooped in glee.

Obi-Wan enjoyed Anakin’s company. He enjoyed seeing the man happy. Usually, the combination of the two made Obi-Wan happy as well. It’s just that he and flying didn’t really mix. He hated the feeling of trusting a machine with his life.

“I’m not uptight,” Obi-Wan shouted. “I’m just cautious. If men were meant to fly, we would have wings!”

“Oh for the love of,” Anakin murmured. “Trust me!”

Obi-Wan did. No matter how short their time together had been, Obi-Wan trusted Anakin explicitly. It was himself he didn’t trust.

Several times a day he would catch himself reaching out for the man. He always stopped himself before he could touch Anakin, but he was afraid that one day, he would be too slow. That one day Anakin would see the love in his eyes and then turn away in disgust.

It was ironic that he had been the one to send the younger man away, given how attached he was to Anakin. But back then his duty had come first. Sending Anakin away had been a good decision.

Obi-Wan stood and moved to his suitcase so that he could begin unpacking. He still had some time before lunch, which Rey had informed him was when he would meet Ben’s extended family. Moving aside his carryon, he unzipped his case and started moving his clothes to the closet.

Putting things in order always brought him a sense of peace. It was something that Anakin had teased him about.

“Why is your tent so neat?” Anakin said over tea one time.

“I beg your pardon?” Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Your tent,” Anakin said, gesturing using his teacup, causing Obi-Wan’s eye to twitch. “Why is it always so neat?”

“Can you not do that?” Obi-Wan grabbed his arm. “That belonged to my mother.”

“Sorry,” Anakin murmured, fully chastised.

“As for my room,” Obi-Wan said. “It is neat because I like things to be as orderly as they can be.”

“You’re anal huh?” Anakin smirked.

“In a sense,” Obi-Wan agreed.

Anakin laughed. A moment later, Obi-Wan joined in. Anakin’s laugh was always infectious.

“Oh Obi-Wan,” Anakin had said in between giggles. “Never change.”

Obi-Wan didn’t. Through the years he had always maintained his routine. His marriage had failed because he couldn’t bend enough to accommodate his wife. The only time he could consider that he changed was when he raised Rey, and after she left for university, he fell back into his old habits.

Change was good. Stagnating wasn’t.

He stopped transferring his clothes and stared at his half-unpacked suitcase. Perhaps now would be a good time to change.

Obi-Wan dug through his carryon and pulled out the picture of him and Anakin.

“Well old friend,” he said as he set the picture on the side table next to the bed. “Here’s to change.”

He gave Anakin’s face a touch and wandered out to the hall.

The clerk at the desk had said something about the hotel having massage services.

***

“Will you be alright Dad?” Leia asked as she hung his tux and inspected the room that Anakin was settling into.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her.

“Are you sure?” she asked, concern clear on her face.

“I’m sure,” he nodded. “Thankfully I won’t be sharing a room with Luke.”

As much as Anakin loved his son, he did not want to be roommates with him. Especially not on a wedding weekend. There were lines that had to be drawn and never crossed.

“I suppose,” Leia said. She had wanted the two to room together, just so Anakin wouldn’t be alone. She worried about her father a lot. “He should be here soon.”

Like Anakin, Luke was a pilot, and a good one. He had enlisted in the Air Force, which was where he met Mara. Unfortunately, Mara had died in a malfunctioning plane. Luke hadn’t been the same since.

“At least he got leave for this,” Leia said. “Even if it’s only for the weekend.”

“You know how much he loves Ben,” Anakin pointed out. “He wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Ben was their family’s darling, there was no doubt about that. As much as Luke loved his twin sister, Ben was the apple of his eye. It was a wonder that Ben didn’t follow in their footsteps and become a pilot.

“True,” she nodded. “I have to go unpack. Don’t forget about lunch, okay?”

Leia left him alone to unpack after that, but he didn’t touch his suitcase. He never really unpacked if he could help it. Aside from his tux, which was already hanging in the closet thanks to Leia, he didn’t really have any clothes that he thought would be worth hanging.

Instead, Anakin lay down on the bed and thought about the flight over. The initial acceleration, the lift off, the feeling in your stomach as the plane stops touching the ground, even the landing. He missed it.

He used to love flying. It was a rather liberating feeling when you were in the cockpit controlling everything. He had tried flying after the war, but it just didn’t seem right. Something had changed him.

It just wasn’t the same without Obi-Wan.

Anakin let out a sigh. He had tried to bring Padme along with him that one time, but she refused because she had been pregnant with the twins. After they were born, he had already decided to clip his wings. Sure he took them out flying on special occasions, but it just wasn’t the same.

Anakin chuckled. At the beginning he and Obi-Wan didn’t even like each other. His superior officer had assigned them to each other though, and they had nothing to do but accept it and try to get along.

It hadn’t been easy. He and Obi-Wan were as different as could be. Obi-Wan had that air of privilege around him, while Anakin grew up with a single mother who had to work double-shifts at the diner just so they could get by. They had no common interests, Obi-Wan preferred reading, Anakin spent his spare time working on machines. And their behaviours were completely opposite, Obi-Wan was calm as a cucumber, Anakin barely managed to hold on to his temper.

But they made it work. They became a great team. Kenobi and Skywalker. Skywalker and Kenobi. Never one without the other. Until Anakin got sent back home leaving Obi-Wan to fend for himself.

For as long as the war raged, Anakin kept tabs on the obituaries. Every day that Obi-Wan’s name wasn’t in the papers was a good day. Years later, with the dawn of the internet, he had looked Obi-Wan up.

He never left the service, even after he had married and had a child. Anakin scowled as he read that line, closing the browser immediately, never mind that he had children of his own. Obi-Wan wasn’t supposed to get married.

After that flying, even just on a commercial airplane, had been painful for Anakin.

He missed flying, but it had reminded him too much of Obi-Wan that he decided that it was better off that he stayed grounded rather than risk a crash because he was thinking about the older man.

Anakin wondered if it was just the flight over that made him think about the older man, or maybe it was his nightmare. There was a time when he barely thought about Obi-Wan at all. At first it was because it had hurt too much, but later it was because he had been too busy.

He had been building an empire after all.

After the war, he needed a job. While being a pilot would have been his dream, he knew he wouldn’t be a commercial pilot because of the memories of Obi-Wan and because it would have taken him away from his family. Growing up without a father, Anakin knew that he couldn’t do that to his own children.

Padme had her political career, one that she learned at her father’s knee, and in turn taught to Leia. Anakin had nothing but piloting skills, an honourable discharge, and skills tinkering with machines. The last one had paid off big time.

He had gotten his mechanical engineering degree and started designing efficient engines. His designs were bought by a car company, and the rest was history.

He ran a hand across his face, wondering why he was thinking so much about the past. He should have been thinking about the future. And Ben’s happiness.

Checking his watch, Anakin realized that he was going to be late for lunch. Getting up slowly he sighed. At least he was going to meet Ben’s fiancée.

***

When they were checking in, the clerk at the front desk informed Rey that her grandfather had arrived and was currently in the spa. She laughed as she took the key and thanked the clerk. Facing Ben, she just giggled some more at his raised brow.

“Grandfather is here,” she explained. “I’m just happy that he’s finally going to meet your family, is all.”

“Really?” Ben asked as they walked to the lift. “Are you sure? One look at my dad and he’ll probably bundle you back to Britain because of how scruffy-looking he is.”

“Please,” Rey scoffed. “Grandfather would never use the word ‘scruffy.’ He’s too polite to do that. He’d be offended that you think he would do something as uncivilised as that.”

“I’d never offend your grandfather,” Ben said, suddenly quite serious. “He’s the reason you’re as wonderful as you are.”

“Oh you,” Rey blushed, playfully slapping Ben. “Still, I can’t wait for our families to meet.”

Ben checked his wristwatch. They had enough time to unpack and let Rey have a shower before they were due to meet up with their families for lunch. He couldn’t wait for his grandpa to meet Rey. Anakin would be delighted to meet her.

Later, when they made their way to the hotel’s dining area, his parents and grandpa were already there waiting for them.

“Grandpa,” Ben said, his hand at the small of Rey’s back. “This is Rey.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Rey,” Anakin smiled, standing as he took her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“All good things I hope,” Rey smiled, charming Anakin. “I’ve also hear a lot about you Sir.”

“Call me Anakin,” he said, motioning for them to sit. “Where’s this grandfather of yours then? Us old men have to stick together, you know.”

“You’re not that old Dad,” Leia said, patting her father on the arm. “Merely distinguished.”

“Ha!” Anakin barked out a laugh. “Always the politician my Leia is.”

Rey smiled politely, not quite certain what else to say. Ben squeezed her hand in reassurance under the table. She gave him a grateful look. Still, she couldn’t help but glance at the doorway for her grandfather to arrive.

When he did, her eyes lit up and she stood, waving him over. Obi-Wan saw and made his way to their table, shooting a smile at Ben.

“Grandfather!” Rey exclaimed, standing to hug Obi-Wan as soon as he was within range. “I’m glad to see you.”

“I’m happy to be here,” he replied, his eyes twinkling.

“Oh right!” she said, remembering her manners. “Grandfather, you know Ben.”

“Sir,” Ben said, standing as he gave Obi-Wan a handshake. “This is my father Han Solo, and my mother Leia.”

Obi-Wan exchanged pleasant greetings with the pair.

“And this is my grandpa,” Ben said proudly. “Anakin Skywalker.”

Ben looked over to his grandfather, who was staring in shock and disbelief at Obi-Wan. He turned his gaze to Obi-Wan, whose smile had slipped a little. Ben’s brow furrowed.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin said, standing up slowly as he addressed Rey’s grandfather.

“Hello,” Obi-Wan replied, his smile once again back in place. “It’s been a while, Anakin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who has commented. I have to apologise, my earlier estimate (and plan) of five chapters won't seem to cover *checks notes made up of nonsensical scribbles and halfthought dialogue* yeah, that.
> 
> Anyway, comments are always appreciated!


	3. Awkward Lunch

Anakin stared at the man in front of him. Red hair may have turned to silver and there were more wrinkles than when last they had met, but Obi-Wan’s grip was as strong as ever. They sat down and Anakin noticed that Leia was studying Obi-Wan.

“Mister Kenobi,” she said hesitantly. “May I ask how you know my father?”

“Anakin never told you about me?” Obi-Wan asked, his face may have seemed like he was teasing, but Anakin could see the hurt in his eyes. “Anakin, I’m disappointed.”

Never told his children? Anakin almost laughed. Most of the bedtime stories he had told the twins when they were younger had been all about the man. They loved the action and adventure that permeated the stories of the war Anakin told them. He spared them the gory details, of course, but he had always told them about Obi-Wan, albeit using his more common nickname rather than the real one.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, then mentally shook his head as he corrected himself. “Commander Kenobi, of course I told them about you.”

Obi-Wan’s face fell a bit when Anakin called him commander. It wasn’t obvious to most people, but for a time Anakin had known the other man better than he knew himself, so he knew what to look out for.

“Kenobi?” Leia’s eyes widened. “As in Ben Kenobi? The one from all your stories?”

This time even Han perked up and stared at Obi-Wan. Anakin knew that his son-in-law had always been curious about the man who Leia named their son after.

“Ben Kenobi?” Obi-Wan’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “Why I haven’t been called that in ages.”

“That’s the name Dad called you by,” Leia explained. “Ben’s named after you, you know.”

Obi-Wan laughed and gave Ben an approving look. Ben gave the older man a smile, but Anakin could see the tips of Ben’s ears turning red.

“It's a good name for a good man,” Obi-Wan said with a nod in Ben’s direction.

“Thank you Sir,” Ben said, a light blush now staining his cheeks. Beside him Rey was beaming.

The topic on the table changed and Leia and Rey were soon talking about wedding details with a few inputs from Ben and Obi-Wan. Anakin didn’t really pay attention, how could he when Obi-Wan Kenobi, his compatriot and the closest thing he had to a brother was sitting right there across from him, barely noticing him.

Anakin quickly finished his meal. He didn’t think he could spend another minute at that table. Not when Obi-Wan was treating him like a stranger.

“Excuse me,” he said, rising from his seat.

“Dad?” Leia asked, concern marring her brow.

“I’m not feeling well,” Anakin replied. “It must have been the flight getting here.”

Anakin saw Obi-Wan raise an eyebrow. He didn’t care that the older man knew he was lying. He just needed to get away.

“Oh,” Leia said. “Do you want me or Ben to come with you?”

“No,” Anakin shook his head. He didn’t really want company at the moment, and even if he did, he couldn’t stomach looking weak in front of Obi-Wan. He never did. “I can make it back to my room by myself.”

“If you say so Dad,” Leia said sceptically.

“See you all later,” he said, plastering on a smile. “It was nice meeting you Rey. Commander.”

He saw the troubled look in Obi-Wan’s eyes, but chose to ignore it. In a sense they were strangers, Anakin shouldn’t let it bother him.

He made his way back to his room in silence. He made sure to keep his mind blank. He didn’t want to think about things, not until he got to his room. He would be fine as long as he didn’t think about it.

Once he was in his room, Anakin locked the door behind him. He headed to his bathroom and splashed water on his face. Looking at himself in the mirror he scowled.

“Get it together Skywalker,” he said to his reflection. “That was a long time ago. You were a different person back then.”

_He remembered pats on the back, shared blankets for warmth, a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he flew through the air with Obi-Wan behind him manning the guns._

“You had a wife,” he continued. “What you thought you felt for Obi-Wan was just a product of months in close quarters and the last hormonal surge of adolescence.”

_He remembered dreams of a hard body against his. Of bristly kisses. Of waking up next to his wife hard and wanting, turning to her and being sated, but never fully satisfied._

“You are Anakin Skywalker,” he reminded himself. “Successful businessman, loving husband and father. Seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi will not phase you.”

_He remembered trading smiles, sharing rations. He remembered being young and scared of the next battle, of a reassuring voice. He remembered flying, soaring through the clouds. Freedom._

A knock sounded on the door and Anakin was pulled from his thoughts. He sighed and wiped his face on the nearby towel.

Another knock sounded.

“In a minute!” he called out.

It was probably Leia. She worried too much about him. Ever since Padme died, Leia had hovered. As much as Anakin appreciated it, he felt a bit stifled at times. He was a grown man, he didn’t need minding. Still, she was his daughter, and he understood what it was like to worry over a parent. He did his fair share of worrying for his own mother after all.

Sighing, he undid the lock on the door and started to pull it open.

“What is it Le—oh.”

Standing in front of him wasn’t his daughter, but Obi-Wan.

Anakin had to give it to the man. It was the second time that day that he had managed to be surprised by Obi-Wan.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted warmly. “May I come in?”

***

To say that it shocked Obi-Wan to see Anakin again was an understatement. But as much of a surprise as it was to find out that the other man was Ben’s grandfather, Obi-Wan had decades of experience keeping his emotions from showing on his face.

So Obi-Wan hid behind his politeness, a veneer he used often when he was in the service. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed Anakin, noting the smattering of silver at his temples and the deep laugh lines that were present at the corners of his eyes and mouth.

The man obviously had a good life, a better one than Obi-Wan could have hoped for him. Judging from Leia’s age, it wasn’t long after he was discharged before Anakin had married.

While Obi-Wan knew that Anakin’s proclamation of love for him was probably due to a mixture of teenage hormones and painkillers, it stung a bit that he had gotten over it so quickly. Bruised ego aside though, Obi-Wan had to admit that it was for the best.

At the very least he thought that they had parted as friends, but from the polite way that Anakin had addressed him, and the fact that he was called ‘commander’, Obi-Wan got the hint that Anakin did not wish to remember how close they used to be.

Still, it worried him when Anakin excused himself from the table. The fact that Anakin cited the plane ride as the cause made his question it all the more.

Anakin loved flying. If everything else had changed, that one thing would always remain constant. Anakin loved to fly. He loved it better when he was the pilot, but Anakin also enjoyed flying in itself.

Obi-wan lingered after Anakin had excused himself. He didn’t want to worry Rey, after all. She was the bride, she had a whole wedding to worry about, and she didn’t need to worry about him.

He stayed until they were proposing coffee.

“If you all would excuse me,” Obi-Wan said as he rose from his seat. “I think the jetlag had finally caught up to me.”

“Grandfather?” Rey inquired. He waved her off.

“I’m fine Rey,” he smiled. “I just need to rest. You know how I am with planes.”

“Grandfather hates flying,” Rey explained to the rest of the table.

“That I do,” Obi-Wan agreed. “Now then, I’ll see you all later?”

They all nodded and let him leave. Han gave him a speculative look, but Obi-Wan chose to ignore it. He was an old man who was very much entitled to any and all excuses that he could think of.

Obi-Wan made his way to the front desk. He knew that customer confidentiality was a priority in hotels, but he had a way with words that always got him answers. The person manning the front desk was easy enough to get information out of.

He stopped in front of the door to Anakin’s room and took a deep breath. He knew that he had no reason to be there, but Anakin was clearly upset. Despite how they had parted, despite the decades apart, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but want to reach out to the younger man when he was so clearly in distress.

He raised his hand and rapped on the door.

No answer.

Obi-Wan counted up to ten and knocked again.

“In a minute!”

He sighed in relief and tried to relax the tension in his muscles. He had no idea what he was going to say to Anakin, only that he wanted to know what was bothering the other man, and if Obi-Wan could possibly do anything to help.

Obi-Wan heard the door being unlocked from the other side, Anakin was also saying something. A habit, Obi-Wan noted, that hadn’t changed.

“What is it Le—oh.”

The door opened to reveal Anakin with the front part of his hair wet as well as the front of his shirt. Obi-Wan fought back a smile, Anakin never did take care when he was washing his face. Then again, back in the war, there were instances that being clean was considered a luxury rather than a necessity.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted, plastering on his usual smile. “May I come in?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took a while, I was binge-reading Obikin fics (and mapping out another obikin fic). So next chapter's going to be their conversation and then a bit of reylo (bc I love those dorks).

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, my first posted Obikin work. I might be using Reylo as a crutch, but it's a very good crutch, if I do say so myself.
> 
> Anyway, this will have 5-ish chapters (I hope). There will be feels.


End file.
